The Melbourne Cup has long since stopped being simply an Australian race with a few adventurous visitors thrown in.
These days, when the nominations are released, one of the first things many racing fans do is scan down the list looking for the overseas horses. Which European stayer is coming? Is Japan sending one? Has Joseph O’Brien found another Melbourne Cup horse? And is there something sitting at a reasonable antepost price that could look very different by the time November arrives?
For the 2026 Melbourne Cup, there is certainly no shortage of international interest, and from a total of 101 horses that were nominated for the race, 23 of them are trained outside Australia and New Zealand.
They come from Ireland, England, Japan and the United States, although plenty can still change before the final field of 24 is confirmed.
So get your diaries out because the Melbourne Cup takes place at Flemington on Tuesday, November 3rd, and for now the international challenge is more about possibilities than certainties.
The International Horses Are Already Making Their Move
Trying to assess the Melbourne Cup this far out is a slightly strange business, and while it’s not impossible, it’s not that easy either!
There are antepost prices, nominations, travel plans, qualifying races, weights and veterinary requirements to consider, long before anyone gets anywhere near picking a final field.
The Australian wagering market around the race is huge and can lead fans into everything from Cup futures to an Australian $5 deposit guide for those looking for a budget-friendly trip to an online casino, but from a racing point of view the important thing right now is working out which overseas horses are genuinely heading towards Flemington.
We already have one useful clue as seven international Spring Carnival contenders entered pre-export quarantine in Britain and Ireland in mid-September. Among them were Joseph O’Brien-trained Kizlyar, Omni Man, Small Fry and Starford, along with Roger Varian’s Enfjaar and Harry Charlton’s Wine Dark Sea.
That does not mean all of them will line up in the Melbourne Cup, but getting as far as quarantine certainly makes them more than names on a long nomination list.
A second shipment is expected to contain some of the horses higher up the Melbourne Cup pecking order in the betting markets, and that is where things could get very interesting.
Defiantly Has Already Booked His Place
Of all the international contenders, Defiantly is one of the easiest to take seriously. The Joseph O’Brien-trained stayer won the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay over 3000 metres at Deauville in August, beating his rivals by five and a half lengths.
More importantly for Melbourne Cup purposes, the race carried a Golden Ticket for the first time in 2026, which means that Defiantly has a ballot exemption and does not have to rely on getting high enough up the order of entry to make the field.
There is also a nice bit of Melbourne Cup history attached to the Prix Kergorlay. Americain won the French race before winning the Melbourne Cup in 2010, while Protectionist did the same in 2014.
Defiantly still has to prove he can follow them, of course, but winning strongly at a proven stepping stone is hardly a bad starting point when the ultimate target is at Flemington.
Joseph O’Brien Is Coming Again
Perhaps the biggest international story of the 2026 Cup is simply the strength of Joseph O’Brien’s hand, in that he has nominated a whopping 11 horses.
That is quite a statement from a trainer who has already won the Melbourne Cup twice, with Rekindling in 2017 and Twilight Payment in 2020.
His seven-year-old mare, owned by JP McManus, Goodie Two Shoes, will be familiar to anyone who watched last year’s race. She finished second to Half Yours in the 2025 Melbourne Cup and has been entered for another attempt.
Then there is James J Braddock, another horse prominent in the early betting, plus Trustyourinstinct, who won the Curragh Cup over 2800 metres in July.
Not all 11 O’Brien entries are going to travel, and several decisions will be made as the Aussie spring develops, but having so many possible runners gives the Irish trainer plenty of options.
He knows the race, he knows the travel demands and, most importantly, he knows the type of horse that can cope with, and potentially win, a Melbourne Cup.
Aidan O’Brien Has Five Chances of His Own
Joseph is not the only O’Brien looking towards Melbourne. The legendary Aidan O’Brien, and Joseph’s father, has five nominations as he continues his attempt to add the Melbourne Cup to one of the few blank spaces on an extraordinary training record.
The headline name is Christmas Day, winner of the 2026 Epsom Derby and runner-up in the Irish Derby, but his other nominations include Causeway, Amelia Earhart, Pierre Bonnard and Piazza San Marco.
Whether the strongest of those actually travel remains another question. Aidan O’Brien has targeted Melbourne before without managing to win the race, and sending a horse halfway around the world in the latter part of the European season is never an easy decision.
Japan Has Stinger Glass
One of the most interesting single international runners is Stinger Glass, the five-year-old who represents Japanese trainer Yasuo Tomomichi and who won the Diamond Stakes over 3400 metres in Tokyo earlier this year.
That race is a serious test of stamina, but the problem lies in the fact that last time out he finished in 13th place in the Takarazuka Kinen, having never really got going.
Connections have already made their Melbourne intentions clear, and the plan has been for Stinger Glass to travel to Australia and head straight towards the Cup.
20 years ago, Delta Blues became the first Japanese-trained winner of the race, beating fellow Japanese runner Pop Rock in a memorable finish. Japan has not won it since, although Warp Speed came close when narrowly beaten by Knight’s Choice in 2024.
Stinger Glass will attempt to change that, but the competition will be as tough as any he has ever faced.
America Has a Golden Ticket Holder
The United States is represented by Tawny Port, trained by Miguel Clement, who earned his place by winning the Belmont Gold Cup, another race carrying a Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket.
Like Defiantly, that means the difficult business of getting into the final field has already been dealt with, although an American-trained Melbourne Cup contender still feels unusual compared with the regular flow of horses from Britain, Ireland and France.
That alone makes Tawny Port one of the more interesting names in the build-up.
The Field Will Look Very Different by November
The important thing to remember is that 23 international nominations does not mean 23 international runners. Far from it.
Weights are released on September 17th, followed by first declarations on September 29th, with further declaration stages following in October before the final field is confirmed on Saturday, October 31st.
Horses will drop out because of form, travel decisions, qualification, ownership choices, and fitness, and we have already seen how quickly plans can disappear.
Constitution Hill was among the original nominations, but his Melbourne Cup attempt ended when he finished fourth in the September Stakes at Kempton and failed to meet the necessary qualifying requirement.
Between now and November 3rd, there will be plenty more changes, but what already looks clear is that Australia will once again have a serious overseas challenge to deal with.
Joseph O’Brien has numbers and Melbourne Cup experience. Defiantly already has his place. Goodie Two Shoes has shown she can handle Flemington. Stinger Glass brings genuine Japanese staying form, while Tawny Port adds a rare American angle.
The final 24 may still be a long way from settled, but the international raiders are already starting to take shape.
